Steph
Always up for taking on new roles, Steph is a hobby enthusiast and now enjoys sharing her varied interests with her amazing, silly, sometimes-adventurous step-kids Olivia and Wyatt. Exploring outdoor spaces and coming up with messy science experiments are favorite family pastimes. Steph is a life-long Iowan, Des Moines area resident since 2006, and happily settled down with husband Alan in 2015. She has a couple different gigs including adjunct instructor at DMACC and graduate student at the University of Iowa School of Social Work, but step-parent is (usually) the most fun.
Kids and Screen Time: Videos I Don’t Feel Guilty About
Our family has very limited screen time (as in most days we have zero), but sometimes it's nice to take a video break. Maybe it's been storming all day, or it's too hot or...
Get Outside! Enjoy Nature with Kids
Our family loves spending time outside, and while we have the gear to make it comfortable in the winter, it’s just not the same. With spring comes new flowers, birds, and insects to watch...
A Stepmom’s Struggle With Being Called a Bonus Mom
I have to admit, when I hear myself referred to as "bonus mom" I internally cringe. It has nothing to do with the people who say it or others who are bonus parents, but...
8 Easy, Fun At-Home Date Ideas
Are you in a “dinner and movie” date night rut?
With Valentine's Day coming up, many of us are thinking about date ideas to connect with our partners.
For Christmas, I gifted my husband with “12...
Choosing and Reframing Our Parenting “Battles”
We’ve all heard the saying “Choose your battles wisely.” As parents, it can be really easy to get “hooked” on our kids’ behavior in the moment, rather than looking at the bigger picture.
One of...
Meet Steph Crandall
Hello there Des Moines Moms Blog Readers! I am so excited to be a part of this incredible community!
When I saw that DMMB was looking for contributors, I knew I’d love to do it,...